In the 70s, the global political and cultural landscape was undergoing a drastic transformation. During this period, China had just ended the chaos of the Cultural Revolution and began to focus on modernization, putting forward the national policy of "digging deep holes, accumulating grain, and not seeking hegemony". It is in this context that the astonishing discovery of Mawangdui in Changsha has not only brought a cultural and scientific feast to China, but also attracted wide attention from the international community. In this context, the excavation of the Mawangdui Han Tomb is not only an ordinary archaeological operation, but also the scientific, political, and social factors involved in its discovery and subsequent treatment have woven a dramatic chapter in history.
On a sweltering afternoon in July 1972, a puff of white smoke suddenly rose from the ground on the outskirts of Changsha with a loud shovel strike. The anomaly was discovered by several workers who were working on the site. In the smoke, the foreman Zhang Dayong shouted: "Quick, pour water!" A young worker quickly brought hot water and poured it into the hole, but unexpectedly, the hot water gushed out, stirring up a cloud of dust.
The local government soon intervened, and archaeologists then arrived at the site. After a preliminary cleanup, a well-preserved female corpse revealed its true face, which was the female corpse of Mawangdui, which later shocked the world. The news spread quickly, not only the citizens of Changsha, but also people from surrounding provinces came to see the female corpse.
Faced with an unprecedented challenge, Li Wenda, the director of the Changsha Museum, decided to place the woman's body in the museum and display it publicly. The curiosity-driven flow of people caused the scene to spiral out of control for a while. Director Li coordinated urgently with the public security department and dispatched police forces every day to maintain order, but he still couldn't stop the endless flow of people.
In this case, some ridiculous rumors also began to spread: "The female corpse will sit up and laugh at night." "The public's excitement and fear are intertwined, making the task of protecting the female corpse even more daunting.
One day in December 1972, Professor Peng Longxiang was selected as the chief surgeon of this dissection. In the dissection room, Professor Peng held a scalpel in his hand, took a deep breath and said, "Let's get started, for the sake of science." With the first cut, the air in the dissection chamber seemed to freeze. They found a well-preserved organ that was extremely rare in the medical community at that time in the body of the female corpse, and this discovery immediately caused a huge sensation in the medical community at home and abroad.
With the end of the autopsy, the various research materials of the female corpse were gradually made public, and every discovery from history, medicine to chemistry contributed valuable data to modern science. Experts from home and abroad have come to China in the hope of learning more about ancient embalming techniques and Han Dynasty culture through this incident. The female corpse was finally placed in a special constant temperature and humidity exhibition room for scholars to study and the public to visit, becoming an important window into ancient Chinese civilization.
The discovery of the female corpse of Mawangdui is not only a historical coincidence, but also a symbol of the times. It allows us to witness the superb anti-corrosion technology and profound cultural accumulation of ancient China, and also reflects the various contradictions and challenges in the pursuit of modernization in Chinese society in the 70s. Through this event, we can get a glimpse into the deeper face of history and understand the intersection of culture and science that has gradually emerged in the long course of history.